


The Price of Easter II

by belivaird_st



Category: Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Genre: 1950s, Easter, Easter Eggs, F/F, Family Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-22 19:34:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18534085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belivaird_st/pseuds/belivaird_st
Summary: Celebrating the Easter holiday with Carol, Therese, and Rindy!





	1. Chapter 1

"Look, darling, we're matching," Carol spoke to Rindy in the bedroom one morning, holding her by the waist with her knees bent low in perfect height level as they both stared at themselves through the full-length mirror in bright yellow party dresses with dark purple silk ribbon tied around the waistline in loose bows. The only difference was the headband Rindy wore around her light brown hair. Through the glass, Carol turned her head sideways to kiss her daughter loudly on the cheek, causing her to squint her eyes and giggle halfheartedly.

Therese had been busy laying out several different dye-colored eggs in the backyard for Rindy to put in her Easter basket. She looked older than 19 in a sleeveless white pocket blouse with cherry red highwaisted slacks. Carol had made her blush crimson during breakfast when she blew out a few whistles. Therese had bought the blouse from the Cloth House downtown, but the pants were post delivered to the apartment all the way from Seabrook. Carol had not just fallen in love with Therese's beauty, but the young woman's surprising gestures with life itself.

"Here we come," Carol softly sang out, steering her daughter outside around the house by the hand. Rindy found Therese standing in the yard with her white woven Easter basket. Eagerly letting go of Mommy, Rindy raced over to retrieve her basket.

"There's so many colorful eggs!" Rindy exclaimed.

"Can you collect all of them?" Therese asked her.

Rindy swiped back her fallen hair from her face and began picking up the eggs off the grass to plop them into her basket. Therese grinned at the sight of her, while Carol came over in her pair of high heels. She stood beside her, playfully hip-bumping her.


	2. Chapter 2

Therese brought over silverware and cloth napkins to the table in the dining room to set while Carol was busy checking on the lamb in the kitchen. Rindy kept darting in her shoes through the connecting rooms of the apartment with a blue plastic light-up toy of a giant circus clown head with a red button nose you pressed to make it glow and spin around. She got it from her basket along with chocolate eggs, licorice rope, bubbles, and golden plated coins. Her “horse playing” drove her mother loony. 

“Rindy—no running in the house! You’ll break something!” Carol spoke with mixed exhaustion and distress. “Take your shoes off, please, before your grandparents get here...”

“Is Daddy coming?” Rindy asked, out of breath with her hair in her face. She swiped strands away and began loosening up the left strap of her black buckled shoe.

“Daddy might not make it, puffin. He’s driving all the way back from Rhode Island on a business trip,” Carol explained, yanking off her oven mitts.

Rindy removed her white stockinged feet from the size 4 shoes and kicked one of them aside. She held onto the plastic whirl-fan with both hands; holding onto the red button with her thumbs. The toy whizzed and spun cool air with green and red lights flashing.

“Look at this, Mommy!”

“Yes, dear, I see that,” Carol said. “Go put your shoes away before somebody trips and break their neck...” 

Rindy giggled and grabbed her shoes. She bolted past Therese, who was coming over to retrieve plates.

“How many are we tonight?” she questioned. 

“Five.” Carol stepped closer and leaned over to kiss her gently on the lips. “Harge will not be joining us.”

xxxx

And just like Carol said, there was five of them at the table that evening—eating lamb, sweet potato, collard greens, squash rolls, and tall glasses of peach iced tea.

Rindy was the first one to finish her food and was showing her grandfather the light-up fan. The colors were beautiful to the old timer and had somehow put him through a hypnotic trance. His wife kept complimenting Therese’s outfit, and was in a deep long discussion with today’s latest style of fashion.

Carol began to move around clearing away the plates for dessert’s chocolate cream pie. In the kitchen, she was loading the dishwasher with beads of sweat trickling from her hairline. Therese had moved beside her and quickly pushed the window open above the sink. 

“Thanks. I was seconds away from melting,” she huffed, sliding a dirty plate between another inside the washer.

“Your mother-in-law won’t shut up about Dior,” Therese mumbled.

“Oh gee,” Carol gushed.

They stared at each other admiringly before a loud pounding noise at the door broke their spell and made them scatter like ants.

Carol opened the door with her ex-husband standing on the welcome mat in a new suit, holding up a stuffed rabbit for Rindy. 

“I’m here,” Harge grunted.

“You’re late,” Carol answered back, sourly. She left him with the door wide open as she sauntered back to the dining room with the others preparing for dessert. 

 

xxxx

“Let's spend Easter here more often,” Carol spoke softly, burying her nose into Therese’s coiffed hair to kiss and sigh. She started pulling the naked young woman to lean backwards to lay against her in the claw-foot bathtub later that night. 

“That would be nice.” Therese stared at the silver faucets with slanted eyes and broke into a smile. She made a few splashes in the bathwater as she brought over the rose pink bar of soap in her dripping closed fist and lathered Carol’s right bare thigh with it.


End file.
